Rental home in Brandon destroyed by fire

Firefighters say a cigarette likely caused a house fire that destroyed a home in the Buchanan County town of in Brandon on Sunday morning.

Neighbors say the home in the 800 block of South Street is connected to Roger Bentley and James Bentley. Twelve years ago, Roger was living in the home. He is currently serving time in prison for kidnapping and killing a 10-year-old girl.

His brother James is serving time for taking pornographic photos of the girl. The men’s father, Howard Bentley, bought the home more than 30 years ago. He still owns it and rents it to tenants. The tenants got out without injury.